One Out of Many
by Steel Anjel
Summary: Assorted one-shot collection - details inside!
1. Duties That Go Without Saying

**Welcome! This will be my one-shot outlet! From now on, this series will be the place where I let out plot bunnies that are either too short, too unrealistic (*cough*fluffy*cough*), OOC, or generally deemed not good/extensive enough for a chapter fic. **

**If I happen to post a one-shot that the readers decide needs a sequel, I will do so, labeling the chapters accordingly. If a sequel to the sequel is requested, I will probably take the chapters out and re-publish as a separate chapter fic with the next update. **

**Also, if I feel like it, I may post expanded scenes. What this means is, if, in another fic, a scene is shown but not fully described, or even not fully finished, I may depict the entire "uncut" version in the form of a one-shot. :D The other fic may not even be out yet. ^_^**

**I'll do my best to make the one-shots 1,000+ words each, but I can't promise. **

**And please don't expect these one-shots to be well-thought out. :P **

**Let's do this!**

* * *

"Yo, Rito! Wanna sneak away for lunch today?"

"Ah, sorry, Saruyama, not today, I'm on duty," Rito responded apologetically. It was pretty hard. He was absolutely starving thanks to Lala accidentally dropping what seemed like a miniature nuke into their breakfast.

He sighed and thought to himself, 'Man, that's going to take a lot of scrubbing…"

Without missing a beat, Saruyama continued, "Ohhh, that's right… tell you what, I'm gonna go, but I'll bring you some taiyaki, okay?"

Rito brightened, "Sweet, haven't had that in a while. Thanks."

"No problem." Saruyama took off.

With a smile, Rito walked to the lunch area and took a seat next to Lala with Risa and Mio across from him. At the head of the table, far to Rito's left, Kotegawa sat. Pulling out his chopsticks with his left hand, Rito opened up his bento with his right, marveling at Mikan's cooking for what must have been the gajillionth time in his life. He popped a morsel into his mouth and turned his attention to the girls.

Lala said energetically, "Can you believe it? It's almost summer break! I can't wait to go swimming, and to theme parks, and on roller coasters, and-and-and-"

"Whoa, whoa, Lala! Take it easy!" Risa laughed, "It's still two weeks away."

Mio remarked, "Yeah, yeah, but it's something to look forward to! Hmmm, I hope we don't get any homework to do over the summer. School needs to just back off for a bit."

"I know!" Lala exclaimed. "School gets annoying at this time of year."

Kotegawa decided to speak up, "Hold on a second. School is something to be thankful for! Your education is one of, if not the most important part of your childhood." She stuffed some rice into her mouth.

Mio said, "Oh, come on. Everybody needs a break every now and then. Summer is the time to build memories! Fun, excitement, pleasure, thrills…" Here, Mio leaned closer to Kotegawa, nudging her with her elbow, "roooomance."

Kotegawa nearly choked on her food.

Risa chortled teasingly at her, "Right, right! And if you're goooood, you can get all those in one night!"

With a rosy-hued face, Kotegawa exclaimed in a flustered tone, "Eh? Are you joki- No! That's… that's _indecent_!"

Rito smiled in amusement, finished up his lunch, and stood.

Lala turned to him, "Rito? Where are you going?"

"Ah, duty. Today's my turn. See you guys later!"

They all waved at him as he turned to leave.

* * *

Aya gently pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. With a subtle huff of effort, she slid the stack of papers into her hands. Wobbling slightly, she made her way out of the class room.

'Mmmm, if only I could be eating lunch with Saki-sama and Rin…' she thought. 'I wonder if Saki-sama brought her favorite dumplings today… those are so good.'

Glancing at the papers in her hand, she saw the recent report cards for P.E. She frowned a bit as her eyes ran over her own score.

'Ah, I need to do better! Maybe Rin can help me. She's good at P.E…'

Her train of thought was sharply interrupted by the grumbling voice she heard ahead of her. With a gasp, she recognized Ijime Oroka, a notorious classmate with a habit of starting and participating in fist fights and bullying.

If her hands were free, she would have clasped her hands over her mouth and run in the opposite direction.

Her gasp didn't go unnoticed, and Ijime turned his head to look at her.

He sneered at her, "Well, look who it is. Little Fujisaki-chaaan."

Aya shivered. She began walking again, hoping desperately to pass him without any confrontations.

"Hold up a second," Ijime said in a mock-hurt voice, stepping in front of her. "What's the hurry? You wouldn't be trying to avoid me, are you?"

Shutting her eyes, Aya avoided his gaze, and she didn't answer for fear of the consequences.

"Well? Were you?" The bully leaned closer to her face to the point where Aya could smell his pungent breath. On instinct, she turned her head away and backed up a step.

'Saki-sama… Rin… where are you?' She thought in distress.

There was a pause before Ijime spoke again, "Hmph, always so weak. So timid. Fujisaki, without Tenjouin, you're nothing. Right?" He grabbed her bangs and tilted her head up to look at him. Tears began forming at the corners of Aya's eyes from the hurt, both physical and psychological.

"Right?"

"Oy!"

Ijime looked up, startled. Rito stood several yards down the hall, looking very displeased. In one quick motion, Rito set his own stack of papers down. Ijime grinned cruelly and released Aya's hair sharply, at which she yelped in pain, and struck his hand against the papers in the girl's hands. The sheets scattered in every direction, and Aya sunk to her knees.

Rito felt his fingernails dig into his palms. He rushed forward and pushed Ijime away, stepping between the bully and Aya.

With a grunt of disapproval, Ijime said, "Now, you stay out of this, lowerclassman!" He punched Rito's jaw. The blow knocked Rito back a few feet and hurt far more than he had expected.

In satisfaction, Ijime smiled but faltered when he heard someone else coming. He decided to quit while he was ahead, and took off down the hall.

"Don't think I'll forget this, lowerclassman!" he shouted.

Rito barely caught it, his cranium still reeling. He shook his head and watched the bully leave before turning to Aya. She still sat on her knees with her hands on her face, hiding it from view.

"Hey, Fujisaki-sempai… are you okay?" He tentatively touched her shoulder.

Aya flinched, swatting the hand away, before she saw who it was. "Yuuki-kun?"

Rito nodded sheepishly with a bit of blood forming on his split lip. Noticing a bit of movement on the edge of his vision, he looked up to see Saki and Rin rounding the corner. The two girls looked at Rito and Aya and the scattered sheets for a moment before getting the most infernal look in their eyes. Rito's own eyes widened as he realized what they must have been thinking.

"Nonononono, no! Sempai, I swear I wasn't-"

"Yuuki Rito, you monster! How could you treat Aya like that? You're going to regret being born!" they fumed.

In a flash, they produced paintball guns, tasers, pepper spray, and assorted rocks from who knows where and began to batter Rito to pieces.

"NOoooooOOoo! I'm soooorryyy!" Rito squealed in futility.

By the time they were done, Rito lay in a burnt, bruised crisp on the floor. Saki and Rin, panting from anger, approached Aya, and Rin offered a hand to help her up.

Saki asked in concern, "Aya! Are you okay? What did he do to you?"

Aya just looked at her and attempted to put together a sentence, "Um, I, he… he didn't-"

"Never mind! Let's just get away from this person! We're going to be late for class anyways."

Shyly, Aya responded, "Ah, no, I can't, I-I'm on duty."

Saki exclaimed, "Oh, that explains the papers! Here, let us help you."

"No, no, that's okay. You can go, you don't want to be any later," Aya refused.

"Eh? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's okay."

Saki looked at her for a moment and shrugged, "Well, if you say so. Come on, Rin."

"Of course, Saki-sama. Aya… I'd hurry before that guy recovers."

Aya nodded wordlessly.

The two left, leaving Aya to look at the boy and the papers. She kicked the boy's leg mildly. That seemed to work. Groaning, Rito scrunched up his limbs and rolled onto his stomach. After a moment of just lying there, Rito pushed up to his knees, looking around. He saw the papers first. Tilting his head, he looked up and saw Aya next.

"Ah, Fujisaki-sempai!"

Aya just watched him, oddly relaxed in the presence of someone who usually made her nervous, and stooped to one knee to pick up the pages. Rito observed for a moment before joining her silently. Aya watched him out of the corner of her eye, confused.

Following a fair bit of silence, she spoke up, "What makes you do what you do?"

Rito, struck out of his own little world, responded in a marvelous flash of incomprehensible intelligence, "Huh?"

"What makes you so… concerned? What do you have that makes you… kinder than most boys?" she asked with the slightest hint of embarrassment.

Rito ended up more embarrassed than she was. "Eh? What are you talking about? I'm just me."

Aya scooped up the last piece of paper and sighed to hide a small smile. "I'm sorry."

"Huh? Why? I'm not offended."

"No, I mean for Ijime-kun…"

"Oh. No need to apologize for that. It's not your fault." Rito placed the papers he had picked up on top of her stack and stood.

Aya pursed her lips, discontented with her attempted repayment. She knew he was right.

She looked up at him and asked earnestly, "But then what can I say? Can I… um… Can't I repay you somehow?" She hoped he wouldn't ask for much.

Rito extended his hand out to her, smiling sympathetically, "I don't need payment… buuuut… a 'thank you' would be nice." He grinned.

Aya looked at his hand and smiled in return, taking his hand and letting him pull her up.

She looked down nervously and said, "Thank you."

Rito responded, "Annnnytime… oh, shoot, I'm gonna be so late!" He rushed to where his own stack of sheets was and turned to wave politely at her, completely unaware of the drop of blood trickling from his lip. Aya saw it and tilted her head in concern but let it go. She waved back at him, watching him clumsily pick up his stack and rush away.

She didn't usually notice boys very much, but now, this one certainly got her attention. Maybe even more than just her attention.

* * *

**Aya is perhaps one of the most overlooked characters, in my opinion. I definitely wouldn't mind if she got a bit more attention at least once or twice. Oh well.**

**Hopefully, I can post more one-shots as they come to me, but this is a start. :D**

**Couple notes on this one: Firstly, this story seems a bit dialogue-intensive, huh? I'm not sure I'm exceedingly happy with it, but I guess I don't mind.**

**Secondly, I do notice that the "duty" thing is something I use a lot when the characters are in school. The reason is because unlike American schools, where the student travels from classroom to classroom, in Japanese schools, the students remain in one room while the teachers rotate rooms. Thus, other than going to change for P.E. or going to lunch, I can't think of another reason for why the students would be walking the halls. Any suggestions?**

**ReViEw! It's good for me. And you. Why? Because. When? Now. Where? Dunno, wherever you are. Who? You. How? Review button, duuhhhh :P. What? REVIEW. **

**:D**

**L9erz!**


	2. Starstruck

**Another one-shot by yours truly, honestly, sincerely, genuinely, etcetera-ly! This one stars some stars.**

**A bit unrealistic, a bit OOC, and much shorter than I had hoped, but it **_**is **_**something I'd be willing, if not happy, to expand on.**

* * *

"Eh? Really? Wouldn't you rather give them to someone more important?"

Run shook her head and responded timidly, "Don't be ridiculous. No one's more important to me than you, Rito-kun."

The young boy shuffled, embarrassed, and responded, "Ah, well, if you're sure-"

"I'm sure!" Run chuckled.

Rito relaxed, "Thanks. How many are there?"

"Um… Five tickets total."

"Oh! That's perfect," Rito exclaimed. "I'll bring Mikan, Lala, and her sisters, okay?"

Run frowned for a moment at his mention of Lala but let it go, knowing that she could never keep Lala away from a live Kyouko performance, even if she tried.

"Yeah, that's fine," Run replied, checking her watch. "Ah! I'm gonna be late for rehearsal! See you tomorrow, Rito-kun."

"Yep, see ya!" Rito waved and smiled. While he knew Run could be a bit obsessive sometimes, she really was a sweet girl. Rito turned and walked back into the house.

From the top of the stairs, Mikan asked nonchalantly, "Who was that?"

Inspecting the tickets, Rito responded, "It was Run. And guess what! We got tickets to her and Kyouko's show tomorrow!"

Mikan brightened, "Oh yeah? That's grea-"

"REALLY?" Lala tackled Rito to the ground. "Really, really, really? We're going to a Run-chan and Magical Kyouko show?"

Rito blinked the flashing lights from his brain and hazily replied, "Yeah, yeah, tomorrow at seven." He looked up, saw Lala, who was leaning over him closely with a brilliant smile on her face, and for once found it easy to keep his sight from creeping down.

"That's AWESOME," Lala squealed, hugging him tightly.

If only for a split second, Rito felt very content with their innocent proximity to each other. "I know, I know, but can you let me get up?"

"Yup!" Lala hopped up quickly.

Rito stood and brushed himself off. He started toward the younger princesses' rooms to tell them, anticipating the following night.

* * *

Rito blanched at the incredibly long line to the stadium. "Well, good thing we have special passes or we'd never get in there in time."

Mikan nodded from his side, "Yup. There must be several thousand people here!"

Lala piped up from Rito's other side, "Well, this is their new album debut! A bunch of new songs, new dances, more flame effects from Kyouko-chan!"

Momo said casually, "It's true. Probably better than those boring animal shows that Nana watches."

"Hey, now! My animal shows are great!"

They all laughed. With a few clever maneuvers, they wove their way through the crowd towards the backstage entrance. The group showed the guard their passes and walked into the stars' studio.

Kyouko, who was having a bit of make-up done, noticed their reflection in the mirror.

"Well, well, if it isn't Yuuki Rito and his princesses."

Nana fumed, Momo giggled, and Lala grinned widely at her favorite celebrity.

Rito, with a touch of red tint on the tips of his ears, said, "Hello, Kirisaki-san. Oh, and this is my little sister, Mikan."

Kyouko smiled, "Oh, please, call me Kyouko. Nice to meet you, Mikan-chan!"

With a small, polite bow, Mikan replied, "Nice to meet you! Thank you for your hospitality."

Kyouko laughed, "Actually, this is Run's doing." In the background, they heard ruffling and stumbling. "Speaking of which…"

"Kyooouuko, I'm a mess! Can you help me out?" Run said as she walked into the studio. Her eyes widened when she saw her guests. Her eyes then fell on Rito, whose face showed surprise along with the slightest hint of amusement. Run's face was smeared with make-up, and her hair was remarkably unkempt.

Run gasped and ran back into her room. From the inside, she called out in distress, "Kyouko! Why didn't you tell me Rito-ku-, I mean, my guests were here?"

Kyouko chuckled, "Oh, it's fine! They don't mind if you have bedhead."

"Kyouko!"

The guests had been reduced to giggling buffoons at the exchange, with the exception of Rito who smiled but refrained from laughing for Run's sake.

Run asked despairingly, "Kyoukooo, can you just come in here and at least help me brush my hair?"

"Oh, dear, I don't think so. I'm busy with my own make-up!" Here, she lowered her voice, "Say, Rito-kun, why don't you get in there and help her out?"

Rito blinked, "Eh? Me? Are you serious?"

"Sure! It'll be good for her."

"Um… okay, I guess."

Kyouko smiled and raised her voice for Run to hear, "Ok, Run, Rito-kun's coming in to help you out!" At this point, Rito was reaching for the doorknob.

"WHAT?"

Rito stepped in and took in the sight. Run was in her chair in front of the mirror and had apparently been trying frantically to wash her face. Now, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. After a moment, Run recovered, turned away, and covered her face.

Rito, completely confused as to what he was supposed to do, decided to just start with the basics. He picked up the nearby hairbrush and walked up behind her. Run jumped a little when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and nearly gasped at the brush softly stroking her hair.

Rito said awkwardly, "Um, I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'll just smooth it out, ok?"

Run let her hands fall from her face and nodded faintly.

After a moment of silence, Run said quietly, "I didn't expect for you to come this early…"

Rito chuckled at that, "Well, you know Lala, she couldn't sit still the whole day."

Run barely smiled, "Well, I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

With an apologetic look on his face, he responded, "Nah, that's okay." From his hand, he could feel her trembling slightly. Suddenly concerned, he squeezed her shoulder a bit, trying to ease some stress.

Run noticeably loosened and said softly, "Thanks." She picked up the tools in front of her and began to clean off the last bits of make-up while Rito brushed her hair. Several moments of tense silence followed.

Run eventually continued, "Um, if you don't mind, even though you said it's okay, I'd like you to forget what you saw."

"Aw, come on, you're worrying too mu-"

"No, please…"

Rito paused in thought. He didn't expect her to react so strongly. With an unexpected change of perspective, he realized how much her image must mean to her. After all, she _was_ a very famous star. For her to be exposed in an imperfect light could mean disaster.

"Run… I'm sorry, it's not something I can voluntarily forget," he said, moving around to see her face. She turned away. "Run. Look at the mirror." She didn't oblige. Once more, Rito repeated himself as he moved back to continue smoothing out her hair. Soon enough, Run had to turn back to the mirror. It took a moment, but she saw what he was getting at and smiled.

"Thank you, Rito-kun."

Rito smiled back through the mirror. For the next twenty minutes or so, they talked about mundane things, about her songs, about her career, about their lives in general. When they were called for by Kyouko, they both were feeling pretty comfortable. Run made what she thought was a drastic decision. And when the crowd saw her singing and dancing and doing what she loved to do, the last thing they noticed was her lack of make-up. All of them, including Rito, were positively starstruck.

* * *

**Ok. So… the setting here is… a year or so later than the end of the original TLR, I think. Maturity-wise, Rito and Run are a bit different, I think. At this point, Rito (still) isn't in any serious relationship, **_**I think, **_**but he's leaning towards Lala.**

**If you didn't get it yet, this fic is based off of the common idea of young women being unable to be seen in public without at least a bit of "touching up." I have several female friends whom I've seen without make-up, and I'm now under the impression that they see many more causes for concern than I do. Maybe you get where I'm going with this, so I won't continue. **

**Don't get me wrong, I'm not against it. But I think it should be used to enhance, not to hide.**

**L9erz.**


	3. Who?

**Hi. :) Here's another one-shot. I must say, this one-shot thing is something I'm definitely enjoying. This is short and entirely from Kotegawa's point of view. It's part of the story theme.**

* * *

Slamming her locker shut, Kotegawa huffed and stooped to properly tie her shoes. The day had been harder than usual. Many assignments were due, but she could handle those easily. For some reason, it seemed the boys in her class had all decided to pull semi-licentious pranks left and right on the same day. Everything stopped soon after lunch with a couple exceptions. "_At least Yuuki-kun didn't do anything," _She thought before shaking her head, wondering to herself why such a person even entered her mind. With a sigh, she stood, grabbed her purse, and began walking toward the school entrance.

As she exited the building, Kotegawa saw Rito, Lala, Saruyama, and Haruna near some benches, chatting animatedly about simple nothings. While walking past, she watched their interactions, making sure the topics were acceptable. At least, that's what she told herself. Unexpectedly, Rito raised his eyes, noticing her. With a light-hearted air, he made eye-contact and smiled gently, almost sheepishly. Her stomach jumped ever-so-slightly, and she felt disarmed. Recovering smoothly, she let herself smile back, her frustration now very diminished. At her gesture, Rito brightened a bit and returned his attention to the heated conversation Lala and Saruyama were having about what the difference was between lightning and thunder.

Turning away, Kotegawa walked away quickly, seeing no reason to linger. Ten minutes into her walk home, she came upon an unwelcome sight. Standing in front of her were four rather large adults. They weren't in their twenties but still adults.

In a tense and cautious voice, she asked, "Um, what do you guys want?"

The four laughed at her, and the one closest to her responded with a sneer, "What makes you think we want something?"

Kotegawa's eyebrows angled in rekindled agitation, "Well, then let me through!" She attempted to brush past them. As she did, however, her arm was caught.

"Ah, ah, ah. We never said we didn't want anything," the same one said. She turned slightly towards them, fear sparking at the man's touch. Without warning, one of them moved behind her and swept her feet, knocking her down. She cried out in pain at the impact. Her purse was swiftly kicked away from her hand.

"H-hey! Give that back," she exclaimed unsteadily.

Once again, the group laughed. Three of them began searching her purse while one made her attempts to get up futile. Time passed, and when they found no money, one of them cursed in frustration.

He then turned to her and said viciously, "Well, fine. You'll be paying us somehow. Come on, boys, into this alley."

Kotegawa's eyes widened, and when two of the assailants picked her up by her arms, she gasped and kicked, struggling to get free. She tried to shout, but her mouth was covered before she could voice her distress.

In the alley, she was dumped onto the ground harshly against the wall, and the men kneeled to her level. With heinous grins on their faces, they held her still and began to trace her body with rough fingers. "_How could they do this? Why would they do this? Why-" _her frightened thoughts were halted, and she watched in horror as they ripped her overcoat off of her. Her kicks became stronger and more frantic, and she managed to connect with one of their knees. The man grunted and snarled, hitting her forehead hard with his palm. Her head snapped back and hit the wall behind her, dazing her tremendously. With blurred vision, she saw them rip off her undershirt, exposing her bra-clad chest.

"_That's it. I can't resist, I'm helpless, I… I…" _she vaguely heard fast and repeated thuds against the ground before she fell under a cover of black.

* * *

Seemingly just as quickly as she fainted, she woke. Her eyelids fluttered opened, and she groaned as the light streamed unwelcome into her eyes, igniting a strong pain at her the base of her head. While attempting to adjust, she remembered and shot up, much to the detriment of her headache. She swiftly recognized her home surrounding her place on the couch. For a fleeting moment, she hoped it was a dream. However, when she looked down at her towel-covered torso, her heart sunk.

She shut her eyes, hoping with all her mind that she hadn't been violated any further. She didn't _feel_ like it. Other than the towel, her clothes were untouched. She glanced at the coffee table and was amazed to find her purse, along with all of her belongings. Next to them, she saw something peculiar. It was a small teapot and a filled cup. At this point, she relaxed in her firm conviction that she had been rescued.

She extended a trembling hand towards the cup. It was still warm. Gently inhaling the vapor, she affirmed its innocence and took a sip. Her headache soothed if only for a moment, and Kotegawa smiled. She hadn't tasted it before. She owed someone a thank you.

* * *

After the weekend, as she entered the school, her mind went back to the incident, and she shivered. Despite her efforts, no one had claimed the saving deed as theirs. She had asked Lala. She had asked Risa and Mio. She had asked her brother. _He _didn't fess, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he knew who it was. She even asked Rito. Rito refused as well after a moment of concern. Part of her wished the person would step forward, but the other part of her felt quite content. At least, she knew there some good people out there, stranger or not.

* * *

**An interesting concept, no? This story stemmed from an idea I had, which I began to call, "The Thankless." **

**L9erz! :)  
**

* * *

It wasn't necessary. Why would it be? What good would come if she knew? A skewed perception of her savior? A feeling of obligation or guilt?

"_It was just a little, white lie, right?" _Rito thought as he iced the discolored skin on his lower chest.


	4. Debts Part 1 WARNING

**WARNING-WARNING-WARNING: This chapter will contain torture elements that some (if not many) people may find disturbing. Reader discretion strongly advised.**

**I would give this an M rating, if it was on its own. If the readers demand, I can post it as a separate story. I won't be changing the rating on this collection.**

**Do NOT say I didn't warn you. If you cannot handle extreme torture, STAY AWAY.**

* * *

A lone figure strode into the room. Quietly, as if there were nothing to be concerned about. The walls were etched with scrapes, burns, and scratches. Dark maroon blotches highlighted the four surrounding barriers in a way that heightened the nightmarish quality of the chamber.

Behind the figure, the thick, metallic door slammed. He placed his gaze upon the prisoner in front of him. She hung from shackles, wrists scarlet and swollen, and her once vibrantly flaxen hair had dulled to assume a somber, light, gray tan. With eyes closed, her head was drooped loosely, showing no signs of energy. If he wasn't who he was, he would assume her dead. Not the slightest bit of compassion or pity entered his mind, and his ominously bright green eyes lost not their coldness.

"Did you really believe we wouldn't find you? That you had evaded _us_?"

The prisoner didn't respond, but a faint lift of her head said she was listening.

"We spend years ensuring our greatest project wouldn't fail and even if it did, the presence of fail-safes eradicated the possibility of a complete disaster."

The prisoner tilted her head toward him, straining to focus. Without a warning, the man smashed her jaw upwards. Her head flung back, with her hair tracing the path. She made no effort to recover.

"Where is she?"

No response.

"You will answer me. NOW."

She didn't.

"Well then. I supposed this prompts another session."

At those words, she began to tremble, even violently. Her fists clenched, and her lips quivered. The man pressed a button near the door, sounding a loud buzz. The lock on the door clicked, and another man entered, while the first exited.

This man, she knew.

The man, known to her as Gedeon, remarked calmly, "I didn't expect to be back here. Truly, your resolve is substantially stronger than I expected, considering your morals. Or perhaps, lack thereof."

For the first time, she spoke, her voice scratchy and pained, "I'm not a monster. I… I can be a normal person…"

"Can you really? Who told you that?"

She didn't give away the name.

"Listen to me, oh assassin. You were _built_ to be a monster. You were built with the sole purpose of death and pain. Nothing else. And you are going to re-experience at least one of those. So help me God if you won't experience them. Let's begin."

Gedeon kneeled and took a nearby rag into his hands. Quickly damping the rag, he began to wash her feet, which barely grazed the floor as she hung. Her aching jaw shook irregularly as she tried to suppress the scream of pain gnawing at her throat. It _burned_. Like nothing else she had ever felt. The feeling wasn't local either. Though centered at her feet, the pain crept up her calves and re-intensified at her knees.

Her iron inquisitor removed the rag, smiling at the red and decaying flesh. His own hands remained unharmed by the acidic liquid.

"I must say, the tools of this planet are, though primitive, crudely effective," Gedeon sneered.

With a harsh grip, he grasped her ankles and tugged downwards forcefully. She groaned and clenched her thighs and calves. Snarling menacingly, Gedeon yanked again, stronger this time, and a slight crack sounded. The assassin bit her lip hard and again let out a muffled groan. Her entire leg shrieked with a throbbing sting, begging to be released from the unnatural length it had been stretched to. Gedeon passed one of her ankles to the other hand, allowing himself a hand to acquire his tools. Deftly, he flicked a large nail onto the top of her foot and as it assumed a position perpendicular to the floor, slammed it down with a bronze mace. The spike was buried to the head, the assassin's foot speared to the floor.

She cried out, her head hung back, so as to avoid the knowledge of when it would happen. With a loud gasp, she shut her mouth and held her breath. Gedeon idly repeated the action to her other foot, not flinching at the victim's sharp yell.

With a sigh, he stood from his kneeling position and whispered, "Ah, there we go. Now, we can get onto the main course."

Raising his voice ever-so-slightly, Gedeon said, "You know what's interesting about our time together? We hardly talk. I don't ask you questions, even though answers are what we seek. Which makes it all the more fun. If I don't give you a way out, we can just continue until the session is over, whether you give in or not."

As he spoke, he walked around her placed his finger on a nearby switch. When his monologue ended, he flicked it on. To the left of the victim, a panel in the wall opened, revealing a storehouse of equipment.

A thick heat emanated from the opening, and Gedeon said, obviously pleased, "Oh! They prepared it ahead of time. Good."

He walked into the room and came back out shortly with something in his hand. His smile showed he was glad to use such a tool. Perhaps he didn't often get a chance to.

The instrument resembled a steel rod, but with short ropes hanging off one end. On each of the ropes, there were numerous bits and shards of metal. The metal pieces glowed orange, and a foul smell pervaded the air. Gedeon lifted the end in front of her face, and she rapidly turned her head in a futile attempt to escape the uncomfortable heat.

Gedeon maneuvered himself in front of her and leaned in, "Did you know that we actually designed a series of separate weapons for you? Imagine that! Weapons, for a _weapon_! Made from a special metal crafted to be magnetic to the nanobots inside you."

Her eyes widened in horror.

The man jumped to her right and swung down onto her back, the ropes whistling through the air. Her entire body clenched and shook. She felt as if she would bite her lip off, and her back shouted in unyielding agony. Gedeon smiled, again, at the metal splinters now firmly embedded into her back, yet still attached to the ropes. The assassin hadn't even realized yet that the shards hadn't left her. Slowly and steadily, he drew the whip back and towards the floor, dragging the bits brutally through the flesh of her back. Now, _Eve_ didn't hesitate to screech, if only to indulge her mind before she lost it.

* * *

Gedeon grunted when a spray of blood splashed his face as he picked the muscle and tissue off of a cross-section of her leg. This time, he opted for an erratically serrated scalpel. Above him, he heard a never-ending stream of ghastly screeches and yells, but it may as well have been silent to him. The screams fell on deaf ears. Removing the last piece of flesh covering the bone, he reached at and snapped it with his bare hand.

The screams intensified. He was genuinely surprised that her lungs and throat hadn't given out in the last half of an hour that she had been screaming nonstop. Of course, a device to heal her wounds rapidly _had _been placed at the base of her skull, keeping her alive.

Wiping his brow, he stepped back and admired the view in front of him. Her eyes were wide open, as was her mouth, and her nose had been burned off, baring the nasal spine. Her arms were bent in more places than should be, and her hands writhed. How this was possible, he knew not. Her stomach was covered with gashes, some more than an inch deep. Her legs were either roughly pin cushioned with needles, or missing the majority of the flesh. Blood collected in puddles around her.

With a nod of satisfaction, he turned a dial to his right and watched as her body twitched and realigned itself. The tissue wove itself back together, and the bones that had been broken asunder snapped back into place and fixed themselves. In a couple dozen seconds, she was like new. Almost.

And she still wouldn't stop _screaming_.

* * *

**Oh. My. Goodness. I almost feel **_**ashamed**_** for depicting such a grisly scene. If I can help it, brutality of this magnitude will never be seen again in my writing. And don't worry, she gets rescued. By our favorite king of Deviluke, no less. :) **

**In the timeline, this is about five to seven years after TLR. So, things have changed. Both for the better and the worse. **

**Gedeon is a character that I came up with years ago, and not for TLR. Cold, and absolutely so. No regard for others' suffering. No emotional weakness. May as well be a robot.**

**If the first "tool's" description seemed a bit unclear, search "cat of nine tails" on Google images, and imagine shards of white-hot metal embedded in the "tails." Crazy, right?...**

**I'm so sorry, Yami-chan…**

**Let me reiterate, if you feel this is too much violence to post online, please say so, either by review, or by PM. I have no problem whatsoever with taking this chapter down.  
**


	5. Debts Part 2

**Hey! Where is the TLR community? This place has been inactive since the beginning of June. Seriously, though, I need your help. I've been kind of in a funk lately, and some new stories/authors would be nice. :)**

* * *

For the sake of _them_. Only for the sake of _them._ It had gotten to the point where she didn't even dare to recall their names. The further they were from her, in every way possible, the safer they were. Involuntarily, she groaned hoarsely at her ever-lasting plight. Would her life always remain a detriment to her relationships? She wondered. It was all she could do. She couldn't move. She could hardly speak, but even that much pained her whole body. Every now and then, a violent spasm racked her, further intensifying her penetrating state of agony. There wasn't a motion she could make without igniting some form of pain.

Again, she twitched sharply when the door in front of her swung open. The man, whose name she knew not, strode toward her with an air of expectation. Behind him, Gedeon followed stonely. Once in front of her, the man took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I suppose, by now, you know the drill. As this is the third time I confront you, I doubt a pointless repetition of such a sequence is truly necessary."

As he had for the past two days, the man received a complete lack of response.

"I am going to count to five. Gedeon, be ready. If you do not give me the locations, I will leave this room, and you… will remain with Gedeon. And I assure you, his treatments will _not_ become easier to bear with time."

With a trembling jaw, the pale assassin remained silent.

* * *

Hours later, she snapped her mouth shut and screamed once more. Her tense muscles loosened as though dead, and she felt odd relief at the sharp constriction around her wrist. The pain was so much less. _So much pain… _and without a warning, the chains snapped off electronically, letting her fall fully onto the cold and sickly slick floor. In her mental haze, she didn't completely comprehend it. She just lay.

Minutes passed, slowly but steadily. With a resounding snap, the door to her sanguine chamber fell off of its hinges, revealing a figure so welcome to her eyes, and she screamed in horror. An unnatural burst of adrenaline rushed through her body, and she scrambled madly away from the door toward the farthest corner she could find. After a moment of furious inspection, the figure took a step forward. She screamed again and shut her eyes, attempting to dispel her perceived lunacy.

'_Not yet! Not yet! I can't be losing it! It's… beautiful! I need to keep strong… they can't…'_

At once, the figure rushed towards her. He kneeled to her level cautiously, sensing her instability. Slowly, he extended a hand and brushed her cheek with his fingertips. Forcefully, she twisted away, scrambling frantically.

"Yami!"

Her screams audibly increased, and he finally grasped her by the waist, not roughly, but firmly.

"Yami!"

She didn't stop, her eyes wide and crazed.

"Eve!" he cried in desperation, clutching her tightly, begging her to understand.

At the contact, the screams abruptly halted. Trembling, her hands grasped at him, and in an instant, she unconsciously and fully validated his existence. Gasping erratically, she slumped in his arms, her energy utterly spent. He held her head on his chest with one hand and kept her body close and sheltered with the other. Her face remained smooth and unstrained, but tears freely streamed from her eyes.

Soothingly, he murmured, "I'm here. I'm here. It's over." With a start, he felt the rough metal contraption at the base of her skull. Carefully, he switched it off and removed it. An eerie glow graced the skin underneath it, but as soon as he saw it, the glow softly dissipated, flowing towards the rest of her body. At this point, she had drifted under, enjoying a state of complete rest, which she had been deprived of.

The king turned his head, gazing at the chamber. It invoked a rare rage in him. A rage that would not be contained. His gaze returned to her face. Its natural smoothness had returned, and her skin had become slightly less dull. For her sake, he would keep his wrath in check. At least until she was safe.

* * *

The sunlight raced into the king's eyes faster than he had expected. He glanced at the assassin in his arms. "Hold on a little longer, Eve…"

He rushed to his own house. His place of peace where affairs of the galaxy could not disturb him. Once there, he placed her gently on the nearest bed, covering her. When he finally raised his gaze, he was met with a startling sight. In the corner of the room, Gedeon stood with even less of an expression on his face than usual.

Rito's sword was in his hand right away. The bronze blade seemed to gleam in delight. Gedeon responded in kind, brandishing a savage edge with serrated edges. Many lives had been coldly claimed by the weapon.

The battle began, and Rito felt confident. He had been trained by the best swordsmen in the galaxy for many months. Once, he even received two weeks of specialty training from Mea, as well as from Yami herself.

Back and forth, the swords danced. Within seconds, Rito felt his abilities strain. Gedeon fought like none other he had seen before. The man never let an opportunity pass, and his blocks were focused, precise, and completely smooth. Rito could see a thorough, empty peace in his eyes, as if he was in a trance. His mind remained unperturbed by effort or fear.

Bit by bit, Rito felt his strength ebb away. Several minutes into the duel, he had given Gedeon a gash on the leg but was alarmed when he didn't even flinch, much less actually slow down. It had gotten to the point where he wouldn't dare attack unless an opening widened considerably. The blades clanged against each other, sending sparks in every direction. In a brilliant motion, Rito caught Gedeon's edge on the hilt of his own and shoved it aside, kicking the man in the chest as hard as he could. Gedeon slammed into the wall and stepped out of the damage quickly, reentering the fight with a horizontal slash. Rito ducked and in the middle of a low spin, extended his leg, knocking Gedeon onto his back. Rito jumped back up and brought his sword to Gedeon's neck, letting the tip prick his collarbone.

For the first time that Rito had seen, Gedeon smiled grotesquely. It was obvious that he didn't have much practice in the action. Gedeon glanced at Rito's foot, prompting Rito to quickly follow his gaze. In a flash of fear, he saw his left foot standing on the flat of Gedeon's blade, and before he could process it, he was on his back with Gedeon descending on him rapidly. He clenched his eyes shut and prepared for the worst.

He heard a gnarled shout and a crunching thud. Rito opened his eyes to see many throngs of beautiful, golden strands. Following the hair, he saw his opponent impaled to the wall with wide eyes. Fear filled them, along with a dreadful disappointment. At once, the life left him, almost as if he willingly let it go.

Rito turned to see the Golden Darkness, weary but relaxed. He saw an emotion run through her eyes as she gazed at her inquisitor. Alarmed, Rito rushed to her and tore her gaze away from Gedeon's corpse.

"Eve! Wait, it's not worth it. It won't do any good."

She nodded in understanding and for the first time in days, she spoke, "Rito… I…"

"Shh. You need time. We'll set everything straight. You'll see Tearju. You'll see Mikan. Everything will be right again. I promise."

Yami freely cried tears of relief and joy. It was the first time she had ever truly trusted someone, enough to break in front of them.

* * *

**Whew, that was intense. In my mind, there's a whole story behind this, but in reality, it probably needs a lot of planning, organization, and expansion. **

**Hopefully, I can return to less heavy one-shots so- *Pzztzz***

_**Remember me? No? Makes sense. You've never met me before. Perhaps you've met my friend, the brain hermit. Interesting fellow if not slightly unsteady. In retrospect, it might not have been good for you to meet him. Next time you see him, he probably won't be in a good mood.**_

***Pzztzz* -on. Maybe even a chapter fic, if I can bring myself to get around to it. **

**L9erz!**


	6. Risa's Test

***Ahem* TLR writers! Come out of hiding! It'd be great to see some more authors doing this wonderful community justice. :D**

**We got some new authors, I think! Still could use more!**

* * *

"Eh? Are you serious?"

Kotegawa sighed, "Yes, I'm serious!"

"But why me?" Risa asked with an eyebrow raised.

Kotegawa responded in slight frustration, "Because I know you're not the type who's afraid to be forward."

"Mmmmm… true, I guess. And why do you want me to do this?"

"Um… it's because I'm tired of constantly feeling like I need to keep an eye on him. I want to know if he can be trusted without supervision."

Risa smirked, "Riiiiight. So you're always watching him?"

Kotegawa's face flushed scarlet, and she responded hastily, "No, I-… I-I just make sure he stays in line, that's all!"

"Aaannnd, you're not doing this because you want to know more about him, right? "

"N-no! I mean, yes! But not in that way…"

Risa chuckled, "Uh-huh. Okay, fine. It should be fun."

* * *

Rito asked nervously, "Um… so where are we going?"

Risa glanced back at him and responded, "Oh, just to run a few errands, and maybe to get a drink or something."

"Ah… well, I guess it's okay then," Rito replied, hoping to not get involved in unnecessary excitement.

Risa grinned to herself. Oh, she had all sorts of excitement planned. At the nearby grocery store, she decided to start slowly.

She looked up to the sky and thought, "_Wow… couldn't have picked a hotter day as well._"

As she was picking items off of the shelf, she turned to Rito and said, "Hey, can you hold the stuff for me?"

"Eh? Oh, sure," Rito said politely, taking the basket and letting her load it up. Rito grunted when she began to completely overload the basket in ways he never thought possible. It must have weighed sixty pounds by the time she was done. Risa watched him, his shoulders stiff and his back tense from the weight, and heard not a word of complaint. While they were loading the items in the checkout line, he bent in an odd fashion, placed a hand on his back, and pushed. A crackling ripple of pops resounded. Risa giggled, surprising him as well as herself. Rito just smiled sheepishly. However, her real surprise came when he once again grabbed the bags and continued to carry them outside. In the intense heat, he began to sweat abundantly.

Risa said, "Tell you what. How about we drop these off at my doorstep, which is a couple minutes from here, and then we continue?"

Rito didn't think he had ever nodded so vigorously in his entire life.

* * *

"Ahhhhh…" Rito sighed as he set the groceries down. Risa watched him, carefully thinking about what to do next.

"Yuuki, I need to head downtown to check out a store, and, um… well, I'm not very comfortable riding the train by myself. Would you mind coming with me? It won't take long."

"Eh? Well, I kinda have to get home… Mikan's going to be waiting with dinner and-"

"Pleeaase, Yuuki?" she begged, leaning forward and making big, sparkly eyes. Naturally, she displayed a bit of cleavage for added persuasive power.

Of course, Rito couldn't help but notice, and he abashedly turned his head away. Risa raised her eyebrows.

He gulped and said, "Well… I guess I can call Mikan and tell her not to wait up…"

Risa smiled and said brightly, "Ah! Thanks, Yuuki!"

"No problem," he responded and smiled.

* * *

"Oof!" Rito grunted when the train jerked, knocking someone into him. He had his arms outstretched in front of him and his hands on the window. In between his arms stood Risa, who was gazing out at the scenery.

He inwardly groaned, "_Oh, how did I get myself into this?_"

Again, the train jerked, enough to push another person closer. Much to Rito's horror and disgust, said person extended his hand towards Risa's backside.

"_The gall of this guy! Even though he knows I'm right here!_" Before it could make contact, Rito smacked the hand hard, and it quickly retracted.

Meanwhile, Risa saw everything out of the corner of her eye. She was once again impressed and… oddly happy. No matter how she tried not to, she kept finding the situation rather charming, and even a bit romantic. Curiously, she watched Rito reassuming a defensive position. She could tell that now he was on high alert, and she saw his forearms visibly tense up. Unconsciously, she moved just a little bit closer to Rito when the would-be groper gave her a look. Rito noticed as well, and he twisted to make sure he was in between them as much as possible. Risa smiled to herself and felt a bit warm inside. She quite liked the feeling.

* * *

Rito paled as he followed Risa into the store. It was very obvious that the store was intended for women. Except for the few, poor souls who were forced to buy a gift from the lavish store, there were no males in sight. To his right, there were elegant dresses. To his left, there were swimming suits. In front of him, there were vast amounts of casual clothes. And in the distance, Rito was sure he noticed rather suggestive undergarments. All in all, it was most definitely not on his top-ten list of places to be.

Rito said uneasily, "Uh, Momioka… how about I just wait outside 'til you're done?"

Risa turned and smirked at him, "I don't know if you've noticed, but it's 105 degrees outside."

Glancing back, Rito inwardly cringed at the waves of distortion emanating from the cars and nearby pavement. "Well, can't I just wait here by the door?"

"And you don't think that'll look the least bit suspicious, creepy, or perverted?"

Looking around, Rito did indeed notice that people were giving him funny looks already.

"All right, all right," he groaned. Risa led him straight towards the swimsuit section. Nervously, he watched, struggling not to look too long at any one thing, as Risa browsed the selection casually. Risa kept an eye on him.

"_Time to bring out the big guns,_" she thought. "Hey, Yuuki! I'm going to try some of these on, ok?"

"Um, sure, I guess…"

She left with a bounce in her step. In the nearby dressing room, she slipped on the swimsuit and emerged confidently, eyeing Rito's expression. She wore a light blue bikini with black stripes. Rito tinted red immediately and looked away, stammering incomprehensibly.

Risa sighed and asked, "Well, how does it look?"

"Uh… ah, it looks great."

"Come on, Yuuki. Seriously, if you could change it, how would you?"

Rito looked down, "Well… maybe a bit less revealing?"

Risa arched one her eyebrows. "_Good,_" she thought. Risa responded, "Really? Well, ok, let me try this one…"

As she turned back to the dressing room, she heard Rito breathe a sigh of relief. Unconsciously, she smiled. This time, she picked out a little, red tankini get-up. A little less showy than she was used to, but it still looked quite nice in her opinion.

When she finished, she opened the door and stepped out quietly. Rito had his back to her.

"How about this one?" she said suddenly, though not loudly.

Rito nearly jumped and slowly turned around, almost afraid of what he'd see. He was actually rather surprised.

"I…wow, that looks fantastic," Rito said before he felt the tips of his ears heat up ever-so-slightly. He gave it another once-over and looked away so as to not seem like he was ogling her.

Risa, for the first time in a long while, blushed at his compliment, particularly since she knew that he meant it.

Luckily, she recovered quickly and said, "Thanks. Maybe I'll take it. Be right back." She once again entered the dressing room to change back. As she was putting her top back on, she ran into something that she had most certainly not planned. The zipper had caught her bra strap on her back. And no matter how she tried, no matter how flexible she was, she couldn't get it unstuck.

She paused, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Yuuki! Could you help me in here?"

"…I beg your pardon?"

"I said, I need your help in here!"

"Ehhh? Seriously? Are you, uh… dressed?"

"Partially. That's the problem. Just come on! It's unlocked."

She heard Rito groan in exasperation, and the door opened barely. Almost snickering at his hesitance, she swung it open, pulled him in, and closed it again.

"M-Momioka!"

"Shh, calm down. I just need help with this zipper."

Rito blinked, "Ah. Okay." He glanced around and wished he didn't. Her top wasn't fully on yet, showing the top of her bra. Worse yet, the entire room was made of mirrors, so there wasn't anywhere he could look to avert his eyes.

She turned and motioned to the zipper. Cautiously, he began tugging on the tab, attempting to dislodge it from her bra. It wouldn't budge. Rito began using more and more force.

"Uh, Yuuki…"

Rito tugged harder.

"Yuuuuki…"

Rito tugged harder still.

"Hold up, Yuuki!"

Rito gave it one last, hard tug, and the pesky zipper finally came loose! But in the wrong direction. He had pulled her top open instead of close and pulled _her_ on top of _him_. By instinct, his arms wrapped themselves around her waist to brace for landing.

"Oof!" They thudded on the ground.

Rito opened his eyes and immediately began apologizing, "M-Momioka, I'm so sorry, I wasn't pulling that way on purpose, I'm sorry, don't kill me, I'm sorry! I-"

"Geez, calm down already! It's fine. Just help me out here," she responded in a whisper, glancing at his arms around her bare waist. Despite their situation, she had to consciously restrain herself from leaning further into his arms.

"Ah, my bad!" Rito said as he withdrew his hands. Risa nearly shivered when his hands softly glided across and away from her skin, leaving her feeling strangely disappointed. She stood quickly and put her top on.

"Ok. Thanks, I guess, for the help," she said softly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, no problem… and seriously, sorry about the-"

"Don't worry about it," she smiled.

* * *

They later grabbed a quick bite to eat and were on their way back before they knew it. On the way, they chatted about nothing in particular. The train ride back home passed uneventfully, and Rito walked her to her house. It was a time of pale twilight, and he had insisted on making sure she made it home.

Risa entered into her home and looked back, "Hey, are you sure you don't want to come in for a glass of water or something?"

"Nah, that's ok. I need to be home ASAP. Mikan's probably not going to be happy with me."

"Oh… ok," she replied. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to give him one last tease to think about.

She took a step towards him and lightly pecked his cheek, following with a wink. She said mischievously, "Thanks for the date today, Yuuki!"

Rito's cheeks flared red, and he stuttered, "H-hey, h-hold it! This wasn't a date! Was it?"

Risa gave him a little simper and said, "Well, think about it. We spent the day together doing… well, you know, all kinds of stuff. Nighty-night!" She grinned and softly shut the door.

Rito stood in utter confusion which swiftly turned into realization. Inside, Risa stood with her back against the door.

She finally let herself blush again and thought, "_Well. That went well, I think. I wonder if I should ask for a follow-up._" She smiled tenderly.

* * *

**There ya go! :D**

**Risa is not one of my better characters, for the record. She's just hard for me to interpret. She's flirty, playful, suggestive, easy-going, usually not into serious relationships, and sensual, but not nearly as much as Momo. I dunno. She's one of those whom I find hard to visualize in a real relationship with Rito. **

**Suggest pairings to me for one-shots! :) Either by PM or review. I've gone through my main list of pairings to do, so now, it'd be cool to have requests/suggestions. **

**L9erz!**

* * *

Kotegawa pressed, "So? How did he do?"

Risa turned to her and said contently, "Well, he certainly passed my test."


	7. Friends Behind Your Back

"Everybody pay attention! Here are the new rules!"

Everyone looked at the dark-haired student, who was ever-fervent in her mission to keep the school's shamelessness in check. Collectively, the class sighed.

"Don't give me that. These new rules are for your own good," Kotegawa pressed, "The disciplinary committee feels that we should amend the looseness this school, or at least this class, has fallen into."

Everyone had guessed that the rules were most likely her own idea. Some had already begun to inspect them.

"These go into effect tomorrow! That should give you enough time to memorize them."

Risa gaped, "No interaction between those of opposing sex outside of lunch?" With a gulp, Risa continued, "and… a strict hands-off policy. 'All who are caught touching another student will be punished severely.'"

Kotegawa smiled at that one.

"Yuuuiii! Come on, can't we-"

"Hey, don't address me so casually!"

Risa finished without missing a beat, "at least greet our friends in the morning and talk from our desks when we're on break?"

"Hmph."

From the other side of the room, Lala was distraught at the prospect of not being able to talk to Rito all day, as was Haruna, although she didn't openly show it. Rito shook his head at the shenanigans taking place between Kotegawa, Risa, and Mio.

Saruyama, who sat next to him, said quietly, "Hey, Rito. Can you believe this?"

"Yeah. Looks like Kotegawa's really on fire today."

"Right? Don't you think it's a little too much as well?"

Rito didn't directly respond, and he certainly couldn't say he was happy for the rules. Given his history with Kotegawa, there was no doubt that she'd be watching him like a hawk.

"Well, there's really nothing we can do about it for now…"

Saruyama, somewhat dejected, sighed, "Yuuup, I think you're right… well, we'll just bear with it until students start complaining. I'm sure, eventually, they'll complain so much that they'll have to repeal that ridiculous rule."

Rito nodded solemnly.

* * *

The next afternoon, Kotegawa packed her books neatly into her bag and breathed a sigh of satisfaction. Thus far, the students had, more or less, consented to abide by the rules previously put into effect. She smiled a bit, recalling the number of shameless acts that day, or lack thereof.

A few weeks passed and still, the students obeyed. Kotegawa was genuinely surprised, but somehow, she suspected they were getting fed up with it. She managed to notice a few whispers here and there, and she recently caught a young freshman couple holding hands.

And although she hated to admit it to herself, she was started to regret the "No-talking" rule. It seemed like a perfect way to prevent gossip and drama, but now, the school seemed dead. The only voice to be heard was that of the teacher, droning on about whatever was relevant at the time. It quickly became incredibly dull and grey. The familiar, animated chit-chat that normally provided a sort of soothing ambience was gone. Even lunchtime was quieter than usual.

All of the students were noticing this more and more, day by day.

* * *

"I can't believe this…" Saruyama groaned.

Rito glanced at him.

"I just cannot believe this. Here we are. Eating lunch, not saying _anything_! We humans are naturally social creatures! And with this lame rule being force fed to us, we can't even find the familiarity to speak when we _are_ allowed to!" he exclaimed.

A few guys vocalized their agreement, while most others nodded.

He continued, "And how did it come to this…"

At that moment, he suddenly lit up with a sort of comical spite. "This is all Kotegawa's fault. I can't even begin to fathom how she finds this atmosphere more pleasurable than before. Seriously!"

Another guy, Ryutaro, chimed in, "Yeah, you're right. You know what, maybe she's just jealous of everyone. She doesn't have any friends-"

Here, Rito looked at him funny, but Ryutaro didn't notice.

"-so no one talks to her. Of course, _she_ doesn't care if there's no talking in school. Maybe if she had someone at school who cares about her, then-"

"I care about her."

All eyes turned to Rito at his bold statement. Rito didn't falter, and the expression on his face gave witness to his seriousness.

Fully aware of the attention he now held, he continued in a slightly softer voice, "I do. Lala, Haruna, Risa, Mio, don't you care for her?"

All of them nodded without hesitation.

Rito said half-timidly, "Guys, I know everyone is getting fed up with this rule, but please don't take it out on Kotegawa. She may be a bit stubborn, but she's also smart, kind, and rational. If you really want to change the rules, then confront her about it. But come on, insulting and assuming things about her behind her back? Don't you think that's a little… I dunno, much?"

To Rito's relief, Risa spoke up, "I agree. As much as I hate the new rules, I don't blame her for it. She has goals, and she made a decision that must have seemed logical at the time, or she wouldn't have made it. Of course, things are different now. Maybe she's changed her mind since then. Who knows?" She shrugged.

Rito said, encouraged, "Right, right. She's a reasonable person with a synpathetic, caring streak. Just talk to her, see if you can get her to change her mind. I think we're all missing the old, talkative school, right?"

There were affirmations and nods all across the cafeteria.

* * *

Kotegawa paused mid-stride, alert.

From the cafeteria, she heard, "…Kotegawa's fault. I cannot even begin to fathom how she finds this atmosphere more pleasurable than before. Seriously!

Bitter, she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. She continued to listen.

"…She doesn't have any friends so no one talks to her. Of course, _she_ doesn't care if there's no talking in school. Maybe if she had someone at school who cared about her..."'

But nothing could have prepared her for watch she heard next, from a voice all too familiar.

"I care about her."

She paid careful attention to all of the words that followed and cycled between shades of pink and red. At the end of the entire scene, her heart felt unusually, comfortably warm, and an unconscious smile blossomed on her face. From there, she marched right over to the rule poster and in one swift motion, ripped it away and threw it into the nearby trashcan.

She never realized how well Rito knew her and certainly didn't expect him to defend her like that. It got her thinking hard enough to provide a substantial distraction, and she nearly broke her face on four streetlights on the way home.

* * *

**Mm. I can't tell if this went the way I wanted it to or not. Maybe not. It's been awhile, and I whipped this up in an hour and a half or so. I feel rusty at this. xD And I feel like I made more grammar mistakes than usual. O_o**

**You guys rock. :D Keep on keepin' on.**

**L9erz!**

* * *

Rito tilted his head curiously at her, "Uh, Kotegawa? Why is your forehead kind of purple?"

She reddened, only making herself look even more colorful.


	8. Stripes

**Whew, it's been awhile. And for whatever reason, I feel the urge to write in the middle of finals. xD How does that even make sense?**

**Ok, well, here I am, with another sketch!**

* * *

Rito rolled over and groaned as the blonde flew away in a flutter of perfect, white feathers. Her fell blades seemed to be very much on target today. He just lay there, wishing she'd understand his lack of ill intention. Most would find it remarkable that he'd continue to concern himself with his killer, especially over the past year. Unlike most, however, he had a certain capacity that others didn't.

Over the course of a few minutes, Rito took deep breaths, calming himself down, and then proceeded to lift himself to a sitting position. He glanced at his shirt, ever-so-slightly staining. No matter how he tried, he didn't think he'd ever get used to the pain.

Sighing, he reached into his backpack for a second new shirt that day.

* * *

"Hmm… any ideas?" asked Mio.

All of the gang put their thinking caps on for a minute.

Lala looked at everyone, blinked, opened her mouth, and then shut it. She waited maybe five more seconds and decided she couldn't hold it back.

"Guys! Come on! Obviously, we need to go swimming!" she exclaimed.

Rito's eyes widened.

Everyone chuckled, and Risa responded, "Wow, guys. Seriously, come on. How could we not think of that? Ok, so when, when, when?"

"Tomorrow!" Lala squealed.

Everyone looked at each other, and with no words, they decided.

Rito, opting to not voice his opinion, grimaced a bit. Yami would be there.

Later that night, as Mikan was washing the dishes, Rito passed by and told her, "Ah, Mikan… I'm going to pick up a swim shirt."

She looked at him for a moment in confusion. Last summer, he never wore a swim shirt. And yet, within a few seconds, an harsh answer presented itself to her.

Mikan asked, "Will Yami be going?"

Rito nodded solemnly. Her eyes softened, sympathy for him filling her, and she asked quietly, "Want me to come?"

Rito smiled at her, lifting her heart a little, and replied, "Yeah, that might be a good idea. Besides, I'm sure she'd like a friend there."

Inwardly sighing, Mikan wondered what kept him so considerate.

* * *

That night in bed, Rito spent some time thinking. Even though he had once resolved to keep it to himself, he couldn't help but forget why sometimes. He found himself having to remind himself more and more often why he held it so close. Only Mikan, Lala, and Momo knew. They had promised not to mention it to anyone.

She just didn't need to know. He didn't want to make her feel bad. He didn't want her to just kill him quicker. And what about her relationship with Mikan? At the end of the day, nothing was gained from her knowing. Rito smiled. He cared about her. He very much wished she would simply let herself be truly happy, to be _Eve_ again. And it was possible. Despite her usual stoic demeanor, he had most definitely seen inklings of joy and contentedness in her crimson eyes. No matter how he looked at it, he wanted her to know she was loved by those around her, regardless of her past.

As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but feel like the next day would bring something monumental.

* * *

"Haruna! Over here!"

Haruna turned and smiled at Lala, Rito, and Mikan, "Hello, Lala, hello, Yuuki-kun, hello, Mikan-chan." They all waved and smiled back.

She tilted her head at Rito's shirt, a mostly black one with red stripes. "Yuuki-kun, when did you start wearing a shirt to go swimming? Are you afraid of getting sunburned?"

Rito chuckled to himself. He never got sunburned for some reason.

He replied sheepishly, "Oh, yeah, I figured I wanted to avoid that this year."

Haruna nodded in response before yelping in surprise as Risa groped her from behind.

She teased, "Oho! I didn't expect you be so eager to get his shirt off, Ha-ru-na."

The violet-haired girl reddened. "N-no! That's not what I meant!"

Rito reddened slightly as well, lamely attempting to laugh it off when Mio grinned at him.

"For whatever reason, I always find shamelessness around you guys."

Rito turned towards Yui, who huffed to herself.

He laughed honestly this time and said, "Hey, Kotegawa. Glad you could make it!"

She blushed slightly in her huff, and before she knew it, a small smile graced her face. How could she not? Rito responded in kind, warming her.

Lala exclaimed, "Hi, Yui! Ok, everyone, ready to go?"

They all cheered.

Rito spoke up, "What about Yami?"

Lala and Mikan glanced at him. That was certainly the last thing they expected. But then again, it was Rito.

Risa looked over their shoulders and waved, "Yahoo, Yami-Yami! Over here! We're all ready to go."

She with the golden hair strode calmly over to the group, standing in between Mikan and Rito.

Mikan beamed, "Yami-san, you made it! Glad you're here!"

Yami responded in her usual manner, "Likewise, Mikan," giving the young girl an almost imperceptible smile. Much like Haruna did, she looked at Rito's shirt and tilted her head at it, but said nothing.

Lala said brightly, "Ok, let's go! Last one in buys the ice cream!"

* * *

Rito sighed with satisfaction after lifting himself out of the water and sitting on the edge. He shook his head, sending droplets in all directions. Looking over the pool, he saw everyone having a great time. All except for one.

She sat next to him, nearly causing him to jump and fall into the water.

"Yuuki Rito." She held a piece of taiyaki in his direction. Rito relaxed and took it. Since that night when she had revealed her past to him, this had become more common. She hardly ever said anything. At first, Rito had wondered what to do, but as time went on, he learned to simply do as she did, content in the silence. For several minutes, they sat, observing.

"Doesn't that shirt make your movements more sluggish?"

Rito inwardly flinched. '_Shoot, she noticed…_'

"Huh? No, the shirt doesn't bother me."

"Then why are you stiffer and slower than usual?"

He should have known his dodge wouldn't work.

Quietly, he responded, knowing she wouldn't buy any lies, "I'm just a bit tired."

Yami wasn't entirely convinced, but she let it go, for now. She had yet to even figure out why she was concerned.

"Rito! Here!"

He looked towards Lala just in time to catch a large, orange water gun. "Whoa! What? What is this?"

Lala said excitedly, "We're going to fight with the water guns! Everyone gets ten seconds to spread out, and when ten seconds are up, the game is on! If you get squirted by a water gun, you are out!"

Rito grinned. He liked this idea so far.

"Yami-chan! Want one?"

Yami looked at Lala banally and said, "Sure. I'll join."

* * *

Rito peeked around the corner of the snack bar. There was Lala. So close. Easy target. Lala rounded a corner, and Rito followed. Meanwhile, Yami was on top of the snack bar, watching them. Everyone else had been called out, leaving them spectating from nearby.

As Rito rounded the corner, unreasonably confident in his security, he stepped in something. And it wouldn't let go. Looking down, he spotted a blue goo holding him down. He paled. That was it. It was over. Now, all he could do was remain vigilant and hope to shoot whoever showed their face first. But in the midst of his confusion, Lala had now maneuvered herself behind him.

"Haha! Take this!" she exclaimed. The gun seemed to grow an extra eight barrels and hit him with the force of a tidal wave. For several seconds, Lala just let him take the stream continuously. Rito nearly felt pushed to a horizontal position from the water.

And then, all at once, Rito's heart dropped. The shirt was coming off. And there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to yell and frantically waved his arms but to no avail. When Lala finally let the trigger go, he stood paralyzed.

Those spectating reacted first. Haruna and Yui gasped, Risa and Mio's eyes widened in shock, and Mikan, in morose defeat, averted her gaze. Lala seemed stunned by what she had done.

Rito just remained in place, his hands and arms limp.

Crossing his chest, back, and shoulders, were stripes of red and white. Several were fresh, cerise, and beginning to bleed. Some were just shallow enough to be visible. A few were coarse, jagged scars that had sealed shut months ago.

Yami's eyes narrowed.

"Yuuki Rito. Who did this?"

Rito, in a last pitiful attempt to salvage the situation, said, "It, uh… I got these when I had an unfortunate encounter with one of Momo's particularly prickly plants."

The group didn't buy it, and one by one, they turned their gazes to Yami.

Yami, very aware of the gazes, looked back questioningly. It was only a moment before she realized what the situation was.

Yui, looking back at Rito, said, "Yuuki-kun… do they hurt?"

Rito smiled peaceably, "Nah, not too much."

Mikan and Lala grimaced. He'd never let it bother anyone.

Rito, nervously, avoiding eye contact with Yami, asked, "So, uh… can I get a towel? I think I'm getting unnecessary attention."

Tossing her gun to the floor, Lala rushed to get him a towel, and as she draped is over his shoulders, she whispered sorely, "I'm so sorry, Rito."

Rito tilted his head to momentarily lean against hers, and when he withdrew, he said, "It's okay. Don't worry, it'll work out."

Mikan decided it was time to speak her mind. "Yami-san."

Yami, still in thought, turned to her.

"I have a question, Yami-san… how do you often kill your targets?"

"…swiftly."

Mikan, afraid for both her friendship with Yami as well as her brother's life, responded quietly, "Swiftly as in… over the course of a year or two?"

Rito tried to interject, "Mikan, wai-"

"It's okay, Rito… Yami-san… I very much treasure our friendship and would never want you to leave… but, whether you mean to or not, you're slowly and painfully killing my brother."

* * *

**Uh-oh. **

**In the first paragraph, what do you think the unnamed capacity is that Rito has?**

**L9erz!**


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